The football regular season has finished, but field hockey, soccer and volleyball got a head start and have begun their playoffs, to largely positive results.
The postseason excitement continues this week as football joins the fun and local teams will be in the middle of it all.
Here’s a glimpse at what’s transpired and what’s to come:
Boys’ soccer
Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland’s boys’ soccer teams all were still standing at press time.
In Class A South, the Red Storm finished as the No. 2 seed after going 12-2 and they easily dispatched No. 15 Sanford in the preliminary round last Saturday, 6-0, as Zandell Haskell scored twice and had an assist, and Noah Batoosingh, Jack Moreau, Jeremiah Park and Finn Pederson also scored.
Scarborough was scheduled to host No. 7 Gorham (8-5-1) in the quarterfinal round Tuesday, but rain moved that game to Wednesday (too late for this print edition). The Red Storm beat the host Rams, 2-0, Oct. 16. The teams had played 10 previous times in the playoffs, with Scarborough holding a 7-3 edge. Gorham won the most recent encounter, 1-0, in overtime, in the 2018 Class A South quarterfinals.
If the Red Storm advanced, they’ll host either No. 3 South Portland (10-2-3) or No. 11 Bonny Eagle (5-8-2) in the semifinals Friday or Saturday. Scarborough blanked the visiting Red Riots, 1-0, Sept. 18 and are 3-0 all-time versus South Portland in the postseason. The Red Storm and Scots didn’t meet this year. Scarborough is 2-1 versus Bonny Eagle in the playoffs.
South Portland moved on by virtue of a 5-0 blanking of visiting No. 14 Biddeford in its prelim. The Red Riots got two goals from Alberto Kissaka, while Divin Mpinga had a goal and two assists, and Curtis Metcalf and Joey Perron also found the net.
South Portland was scheduled to host Bonny Eagle Tuesday, but rain moved the game to Wednesday at Cape Elizabeth’s turf field. The Red Riots beat the visiting Scots, 4-1, in the regular season finale Oct. 19 and were 0-2 all-time versus Bonny Eagle in the playoffs, with the last meeting way back in the 1986 Western A quarterfinals.
The Class A South Final is Wednesday of next week at Thornton Academy.
In Class B South, despite being ranked seventh, Cape Elizabeth is off to the semifinals thanks to a favorable bracket. The Capers began their playoff run last Friday with a 3-0 home win over No. 10 Gray-New Gloucester in the preliminary round, as Ben Altenburg, Sam Cochran and Stewart Kelley all scored goals. Tuesday, Cape Elizabeth eliminated second-ranked Erskine Academy in the rain, 5-1, as Altenburg, Cochran, Kelley, Eddie Caldera and Tiernan Lathrop all scored.
The Capers (10-5-1) will visit No. 3 Gardiner (12-3-1) in the semifinals Saturday. Cape Elizabeth didn’t face the Tigers this season and the teams have no playoff history.
The Class B South Final will be Wednesday of next week in Lewiston.
In Class D South, Greater Portland Christian School, ranked 11th, dropped its preliminary round game to No. 6 Buckfield, 7-2, to finish 1-10. Isaac Steward and Paul Tran had the goals for the Lions and goalkeeper Logan Hoffman made 13 saves.
Girls’ soccer
On the girls’ side, Scarborough, the three-time reigning Class A South champion and No. 4 seed in the region, got a scare from 13th-ranked Deering in the preliminary round last Friday. The Red Storm couldn’t score until 9:42 remained, when Julia Black, a defender, scored from Una Djuranovic off a corner kick for a 1-0 victory.
“When I can tell Una wants to pass it back, I just try to boot it,” said Black. “I was just trying to play the ball over. I knew the strikers were right there. I knew we’d either get a foot on it or it would get past her. It felt good.”
“Deering didn’t play like a 13 seed,” said Red Storm coach Mike Farley. “That’s not the same Deering team we played in the beginning of the year. Credit to them. We didn’t have a good first 40 (minutes), but once we started applying more pressure, they wore down a little bit.”
Scarborough (13-1-1) advanced to host No. 5 Thornton Academy (11-4) in the quarterfinals. That game was scheduled for Wednesday, but changes due to weather moved it to Thursday (too late for this print edition). The Red Storm edged the host Golden Trojans, 1-0, Sept. 9. Scarborough had taken all three prior playoff meetings, with a 3-0 victory in the 2012 Western A semifinals the most recent.
“Every round now, players on the other team are better,” Farley said. “You have to play with desire and purpose because it could be your last game. No one will give it to us, so we have to go take it.”
If Scarborough advanced, it will likely have a long-awaited showdown at top-ranked Windham (15-0) in the semifinals Saturday. The teams did not play this year. The Red Storm have won four of six prior playoff meetings, with a 1-0 overtime win in the 2018 Class A South semifinals the most recent.
The Class A South Final is Wednesday of next week at Thornton Academy.
South Portland, ranked 14th, was ousted, 4-0, by third-seeded Gorham in the preliminary round to finish 2-13. Goalkeeper Elise Connor made 13 saves for the Red Riots.
Two-time reigning Class B champion Cape Elizabeth is the top seed in Class B South after a 13-1 campaign and had a bye into Wednesday’s quarterfinal round, where the Capers will host No. 8 Greely (7-6-2). Cape Elizabeth beat the Rangers twice this year, 3-0 at home and 4-0 in Cumberland. The teams have squared off 20 previous times in the playoffs, dating to 1985, with each squad winning 10. The most recent was a 6-0 Capers win in the 2019 Class B South quarterfinals.
If Cape Elizabeth moves on to the semifinals Friday or Saturday, it will host either No. 4 Erskine Academy (11-3-1) or fifth-ranked York (10-4-1). The Capers didn’t play Erskine Academy this year and the teams have no playoff history. Cape Elizabeth twice downed the Wildcats this fall, each time by 1-0 scores. The teams split two prior playoff meetings.
The Class B South Final is Wednesday in Lewiston.
Field hockey
Cape Elizabeth players celebrate after Camden Woods scores the only goal of Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Morse in the Class B South quarterfinals. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald
Two local field hockey teams were still alive at press time.
Scarborough finished second in Class A South after a 13-1 regular season and last Friday, had no trouble with No. 15 Portland/Deering in the preliminary round, rolling to a 9-0 victory, as Stella Grondin and Daisy Stone both had three goals, and Bella Bateman, Anjali Bhatnagar and Halle Seguin added one apiece. The Red Storm hosted No. 10 Noble (6-8-1) in the quarterfinal round Wednesday. Scarborough needed overtime to edge the host Knights, 1-0, back on Oct. 6. The teams had no playoff history.
If the Red Storm advanced, they would host either No. 3 Biddeford (13-2), the reigning regional champion, or sixth-ranked Gorham (10-5) in the semifinals Friday or Saturday. Scarborough blanked the host Tigers, 2-0, and beat the visiting Rams, 3-1, during the regular season. The Red Storm are 3-2 all-time versus Gorham in the playoffs and have beaten Biddeford in four of five prior meetings.
In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth earned the No. 2 seed and with it, a bye into Tuesday’s quarterfinal round at home versus No. 7 Morse. Playing in miserable rainy and windy conditions, the Capers got a second half goal from Camden Woods and made it stand up in a 1-0 victory to improve to 12-2-1.
“I don’t really remember (the goal),” Woods said. “I definitely got lucky squeezing it past (the goalie), but it was a team effort. It means a lot for our team. This year we have such a strong team and strong ladies, it’s very nice.”
“We wanted to keep going to the goal,” Cape Elizabeth coach Maura Bisogni said. “We knew they had some good players and were dangerous if in the circle too long. So our solution was to not be in our defensive end.”
The Capers advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, where they will host either No. 3 Yarmouth (8-4-2) or sixth-ranked Freeport (8-7). Cape Elizabeth played the host Clippers to a 1-1 tie in the regular season and are 2-0 all-time in the teams’ playoff competition. The Capers swept the Falcons this year, 5-0 at home and 3-2 (in double-overtime) in Freeport. The Falcons won the lone prior postseason contest.
The Class A South and Class B South Finals will all be held Wednesday of next week at Freeport High School.
Volleyball
Cape Elizabeth’s Josie Caton receives a serve during the Capers’ 3-0 win over Greely in Tuesday’s Class B state quarterfinals. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald
Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough’s volleyball teams advanced to their respective semifinals.
The Capers, ranked third in Class B South, had no trouble with No. 14 Westbrook in the preliminary round last weekend, winning, 3-0. Tuesday, Cape Elizabeth hosted No. 6 Greely in the quarterfinals and won again, 3-0, but it didn’t come easily.
The Capers trailed by a point midway through the first set, but a 6-0 run produced some breathing room and the serving of Amy Rasco (10 service points) and Cayden Royall (17 service points) helped spell a 25-19 victory. In the second game, standout setter Maeve McQueeny (11 assists in the set) and hitter extraordinaire Annaliese Rudberg (eight kills) worked their magic and the Capers seemingly put a stranglehold on the match with a 25-12 win. But Greely started fast in the third set and with the score 7-3 in the Rangers’ favor, Cape Elizabeth coach Sarah Boeckel called a timeout to turn momentum and it worked like a charm, as the Capers scored the next dozen points, 11 of them served up by Royall, and never looked back, going on to a 25-20 victory to take the match in straight sets.
“It means a lot,” said Rudberg, who had 14 kills. “It was a really big game for us. We’d talked about how much it meant, so we’re super excited to come out and get the ‘W.’”
“I grew up with all these girls and it’s a little emotional to have our last home game,” said McQueeny, who finished with 20 assists. “I love my teammates so much. It’s a little bittersweet. We have a bunch of new players with some girls out, but once we got momentum, the younger girls pulled through and I’m really proud of them.”
“We’re down a few players, so we have some girls out there who don’t have a lot of playoff experience,” Boeckel added. “I’m really happy we got out of here in three (games). We dropped a game to them both times (during the regular season) and could have easily dropped two or three, so this is great.”
Cape Elizabeth (12-4) advanced to the semifinals, where it will go to No. 2 Gardiner (15-0) for the semifinals Thursday. The teams didn’t play this year.
“Who doesn’t love a bus ride?” Boeckel said. “I don’t know much about Gardiner. I know they have a (6-foot-4) middle, who can hit the ball. I hear they do a good job keeping the ball in play. I’m hoping we can go in there and serve really tough and run a strong offense. I think if we run a really solid offense, we’ll be OK.”
The Class B state match is Saturday in Lewiston. If the Capers get there, undefeated, top-ranked, recent nemesis Yarmouth will likely be waiting.
“We hope to see Yarmouth one more time,” Boeckel added.
Scarborough earned the No. 2 seed in Class A and after beating No. 15 Massabesic in straight sets in the preliminary round last Friday, the Red Storm hosted No. 10 Thornton Academy Monday in what proved to be a challenging match.
Scarborough appeared bound to an easy win when it scored the match’s first seven points and took the first game by a decisive 25-9 margin, but the proud and valiant Golden Trojans battled back in the second set, fought off a set point and prevailed, 27-25, to tie things up. The Red Storm’s accuracy at the line then broke open a close third game and thanks to 13 aces, including one from freshman Natalie Moynihan on set point, Scarborough won the pivotal game, 25-17. The Red Storm then opened up a 17-6 lead in the fourth set, but Thornton Academy refused to go quietly, getting as close as 20-17 before Scarborough closed it out, 25-19, and took the match, 3-1.
“I knew nothing about (Thornton Academy) coming in and I was very impressed,” said Mya Jones, who had 25 assists and 12 aces. “We came together finally as a team and dug down deep and wanted to finish strong and that’s what we did.”
“They gave us a battle, but we fought through it,” said Scarborough coach Kim Stoddard. “We’re resilient. Our theme all season is to trust each other and be confident. We’ve earned our way here. We’ve had some tough battles, but we know what we can do.”
The 14-2 Red Storm were home with No. 3 Gorham (13-3) in the semifinals Thursday (see theforecaster.net/sports for story). Scarborough edged the Rams in five sets during the regular season. The teams have played five previous times in the postseason, with Scarborough holding a 3-2 edge.
“The ball won’t hit the floor and we have to make it hard on them.” said Stoddard. “Their defense is great and our hitters will have to pick their spots.”
The Class A state match is Saturday in Lewiston.
South Portland, the No. 9 seed, finished 7-8 after a 3-0 (20-25, 21-25, 11-25) loss at No. 8 Falmouth in the state preliminary round last Saturday. Ruth Boles had 15 assists and Pearl Friedland-Farley added 16 digs.
Football
Cape Elizabeth and South Portland’s football teams are off to the playoffs, while Scarborough hopes to return to action this weekend for its regular season finale.
The Capers closed with a 58-16 win at Westbrook last Friday to finish the regular season 6-1. Touchdown runs from quarterback Caden McDuffie (12 yards) and Nick Laughlin (62 yards) produced a 14-0 lead after one quarter. By halftime, it was 44-0, as McDuffie scored on a 1-yard run, Laughlin returned a punt 57 yards for a score, Cape Elizabeth had a safety and McDuffie hit Laughlin for 20- and 47-yard TD passes. After the Blue Blazes got on the board, McDuffie found Luke Mello for a 53-yard score and after another Westbrook score, McDuffie’s short touchdown run accounted for the final score. McDuffie threw for 184 yards and three TDs and ran for 78 yards and three more scores.
Cape Elizabeth is the No. 2 seed in Class C South and plays at home in the quarterfinals Friday against the same foe, No. 7 Westbrook (3-5). The teams have no playoff history.
In Class B South, South Portland finished 4-4 and fifth after closing with a 24-6 win at Gorham last Friday. The Red Riots go to No. 4 Noble (6-2) for a quarterfinal round contest Friday. South Portland beat the host Knights, 30-14, Oct. 8. The teams split two prior playoff meetings, which both came in the late 1990s.
In Class A, Scarborough has had consecutive games canceled due to COVID complications after last week’s home contest versus Oxford Hills was wiped out. Saturday, the Red Storm (4-2) visit Thornton Academy (8-0) in the regular season finale.
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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